Barry Co. families clean up after the storm

BARRY CO., Mich. (Newschannel 3) - Many of those without electricity are south of Hastings in the Dowling area, where residents told Newschannel 3 that the storm felt like a full-blown tornado.

"All of a sudden, coming from the south, (a) big black wall cloud," said Bruce Rasmussen.

First, Rasmussen says, it was the cloud, and then the winds started.

"Probably three minutes later, you couldn't see 10 feet out the window," he said.

When he was out of his well house and could see again, Rasmussen found tree limbs everywhere, broken glass and his house a mess.

Just down Cloverdale Rd., Vern Schieffer reappeared from his basement to find the roof of his hay barn scattered over hundreds of feet.

"My wife goes, 'Hey! Your hay barn's lying in the middle of the road'!" said Schieffer.

Across Dowling, people spent the evening clearing trees and patching roofs, and like Bruce Rasmussen, trying to protect a home from the next storm.

"My kid and fiance was in the bathtub with books and blankets over them," said Rasmussen. "Yeah, gets your heart going."

The cleanup will likely continue through the weekend, and Consumers Energy says it may take until Monday for rural areas to receive power again.